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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · race · tear · mug · rest · court

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. race — humankind
  4. mate — a friend
  5. court — of law
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com